







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| I don't need to wake up very early. | |
| How much rice do you need? | |
| There are some vending machines in the station. | |
| Do we have any paper towels? | |
| Are you serious? | |
| No worries, everybody uses my stuff all the time. | |
| Good point, I'm sure they don't pay that much! | |
| Yeah, the packet is ripped, but it's not overdue. | |
| Hello, what kind of dog do you have, Mike? | |
| Okay, I want to have something similar then! | |
| Yeah, it is very important for me, actually. | |
| I am alone till my friend comes. | |
| What do you do? | |
| It's half past 4, so we are here right on time. | |
| Hi, I don't think it's broken. | |
| I guess he wants to drink some water. | |
| It's individually, the small ones are 30p, big ones 50p. | |
| It's £135 per week! | |
| How long does it usually take? | |
| Wow, that's unbelievable, is it yours? | |